Prince Avenue facing Wesleyan in third straight tough test to open season

By Brandon SudgeFor the Athens Banner-Herald

Thursday

Aug 30, 2018 at 4:35 PMAug 30, 2018 at 4:35 PM

Greg Vandagriff calls the first three games of Prince Avenue the toughest stretch … maybe in the school’s history.

Through two of those tests, however, the Wolverines are unbeaten with 20-plus point victories over Mount Vernon Presbyterian and Whitefield Academy. Now, before seven consecutive games in Region 8-A play, Prince Avenue (2-0) travels to face Wesleyan (0-2) Friday at 7:30.

But, wait, don’t look at the record. Wesleyan opened its season with two road losses — one to 7A Meadowcreek and another to 2A Chattooga—both of which are a classification higher than the Wolves’ placement in Region 5-A.

“Every Single-A school would probably lose to a 7A team,” Vandagriff said.

Wesleyan’s recent finishes give it reason to believe a season turnaround is coming against teams in its classification. The previous three seasons have each been three-loss campaigns under head coach Franklin Pridgen. For the unbeaten Wolverines, this serves as a significant test.

Prince Avenue will be Wesleyan’s first host to Henderson Stadium in Norcross this season. The crowd will be rowdy and Vandagriff implements loud music into practices each week to prepare his group for a raucous atmosphere.

“We always have a situation where it’s up-tempo and you’re having to focus on what’s being said by the coaches,” Vandagriff said. “Always, communication is an issue so we keep working on it.”

Through two games, Wesleyan has seen its share of offensive struggles but has allowed 38 points against its opponents of higher classification. In turn, it urges a concern for Vandagriff if Prince Avenue hopes to prevail with a road victory.

To counter with Wesleyan’s defensive size, Vandagriff is hopeful for wide receiver Mack Simmons and quarterback Brock Vandagriff to continue a hot start.

“The line-of-scrimmage will be a challenge, because they’re big,” Greg Vandagriff said. “It’ll be about getting in the end zone and control a couple of their athletes on offense.”

The Wolverines’ third-year head coach calls his team “fortunate” to claim two victories, despite the bigger margins. This road test, however, could be the boost headed into region play that gives Prince Avenue the chance to build on an 11-2 campaign in 2017.

“We’re young, and even though we’re young, it would be big to come out and win the first three ball games," Vandagriff said. "That should set us up for a good rest of the season.”

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